1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable and/or quickly constructed levees. More particularly, the present invention relates to a levee apparatus that employs base panels and inclined panels that interlock to provide a generally triangular cross section with an interior that can be filled with a selected fill material (e.g. soil, sand, gravel, etc.), wherein alternating projections and sockets/apertures along edges of the panels interlock to form a connection of each panel to other of the panels.
2. General Background of the Invention
Levees are often constructed of earthen material. In some locations the side of an earthen levee is lined with concrete. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has for years constructed earthen levees with a portion of a side of the levee being covered with a layer of reinforced concrete. At the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers facility at Vicksburg, Miss., concrete levee mats have been fabricated for years.
Portable levee systems have been patented as noted in the following table of possibly related art.
The following U.S. Patents are incorporated herein by reference:
TABLEPat. No.TITLEISSUE DATE274,449Building BrickMar. 20, 1883277,732Method of Constructing Levees andMay 15, 1883Embankments390,175Hollow Building Block or BrickSep. 25, 1888945,859Building BlockJan. 11, 19101,002,161Sea Wall ConstructionAug. 29, 19111,552,077Block for Building ConstructionSep. 01, 19252,466,343JettyApr. 05, 19493,441,140Drain FilterApr. 29, 19693,645,100Leaching Chamber Unit for SoilFeb. 29, 1972Absorption System4,073,245Levee Forming Apparatus and MethodFeb. 14, 19784,175,888Block for Constructing BreakwaterNov. 27, 19794,189,252Undersea Platform Construction SystemFeb. 19, 19804,192,628Flow Distributor for Leaching FieldsMar. 11, 19804,341,050Construction ModuleJul. 27, 19824,345,856Composition and Process for StabilizingAug. 24, 1982Embankments4,431,337Wave Dissipation CaissonFeb. 14, 19844,465,399Artificial Reef Assembly ConstructionAug. 14, 1984and a Method4,661,014Prefabricated Civil EngineeringApr. 28, 1987Module, Method for the Constructionof a Structure Including Said Moduleand Resulting Structure4,869,620Method and Apparatus for ConstructingSep. 26, 1989Seawalls and Docks4,903,782Levee SqueezerFeb. 27, 19904,954,013Means and Method for StabilizingSep. 04, 1990Shorelines5,017,042Fluid Directing SystemsMay 21, 19915,118,222Method and Apparatus for ConstructingJun. 02, 1992Seawalls and Docks5,403,125Method and Apparatus for ProvidingApr. 04, 1995Underground Barrier5,599,136Structure for Topography StabilizationFeb. 04, 1997and Runoff Control5,971,661Water Containment Device and LeveeOct. 26, 1999for Impeding a Flow of Water6,012,872Flood Control SystemJan. 11, 20006,390,154Portable Levee System and PortableMay 21, 2002Levee System Bag6,443,652Aggregate Chamber Leach Lines forSep. 03, 2002Leaching Effluent and AssociatedMethod6,485,230Submersible Modular Dike and MethodNov. 26, 2002for Segregating Body of Water2002/0197112Structure and Method for DetectingDec. 26, 2002an Inflated State of a Flexible Mem-brane Dam6,558,075Permanent and Semi-Permanent GroyneMay 06, 2003Structures and Method for Shorelineand Land Mass Reclamation2003/0118407Transportable Dam and a Method ofJun. 26, 2003Erecting the Same2003/0156903Frame Members for a Portable DamAug. 21, 20036,637,474Portable Levee SystemOct. 28, 20032004/0047688Liquid Containment/Diversion DikeMar. 11, 20042004/0131430Retaining Wall Block and DrainageJul. 08, 2004System2004/0156680Beach Stabilizing BlocksAug. 12, 20042004/0234340Mobile Levee SystemNov. 25, 20042004/0261890Portable Levee SystemDec. 30, 20042005/0053429Modular Retaining WallMar. 10, 20052005/0158122Method for Constructing Check DamJul. 21, 2005or Fire Prevention Dam Using Gear-Type Block2005/0260038Hydraulic DamNov. 24, 20052006/0000179Building BlockJan. 05, 20062006/0275081Modular Dike for Shore ProtectionDec. 07, 20067,214,005Sectionalized Flood Control BarrierMay 08, 20072007/0116522Flood Levee and Barrier Module andMay 24, 2007System2007/0154264Portable Dike and Floatation DeviceJul. 05, 20072007/0196178Portable Levee SystemAug. 23, 2007JP56-77413DamJun. 25, 1981JP2112512Wave Dissipation Submerged DikeApr. 25, 1990JP6041934Submerged BreakwaterFeb. 15, 1994ES2097789BreakwaterApr. 16, 1997WO99/03659Concrete Block, Joint for the Same,Jan. 28, 1999and Structure of Concrete BlocksWO99/11868Dike ModuleMar. 11, 1999WO99/57376A Technique and a Device for BuildingNov. 11, 1999Protective Sea Walls or ArtificialReefs Made of Modular PartsEP1,193,348Modular Elements to be Cast andApr. 03, 2002Fixed in Seabeds or the Like for theRe-formation of Aquatic LifeWO02/068770Fluent Material Confinement SystemSep. 06, 2002EP1,418,376Method and Structure for ConnectingMay 12, 2004Difficult&minus; TO&minus; JoinPipes to be Used at HighTemperatureEP1,508,643Flood BarrierFeb. 23, 2005